Improving electric behavior and simplifying production of Si-based diodes by using thermal laser separation

Leakage current of silicon (Si) based diodes could be reduced by a factor of 1,000 while using Thermal Laser Separation (TLS) compared to state-of-the-art mechanical blade dicing. Laser based heating and subsequent water spray cooling is used to induce a mechanical stress field inside the Si-wafer guiding a crack along a line to be cut without melting or removing material. Results of physical and electrical measurements prove that TLS does not damage diode edges which allows for cutting through the p-n-junction hence simplifying the production process and reducing costs.